After reading a few serious books, I wanted something light and funny. I've gotten lots of good reviews of Let's Pretend This Never Happened from both coworkers and library patrons alike. I decided to give it a shot and for the most part I did enjoy it.
Description (from Goodreads): Jenny Lawson realized
that the most mortifying moments of our lives—the ones we’d like to
pretend never happened—are in fact the ones that define us. In the #1 New York Times bestseller, Let’s Pretend This Never Happened,
Lawson takes readers on a hilarious journey recalling her bizarre
upbringing in rural Texas, her devastatingly awkward high school years,
and her relationship with her long-suffering husband, Victor.
Review: If you're looking for something funny or just a reassurance that maybe you're really not that weird then Let's Pretend This Never Happened is for you. If you, however, are looking for something with a bit more depth than a few chuckles here and there, this book will disappoint you.
Jenny Lawson is definitely funny and I can definitely see her humorist wings growing. As a writer, however, she needs to stay focused. Let's Pretend This Never Happened is pretty much composed of tangents that are not linear nor really take any shape. For instance, there are footnotes and those footnotes have footnotes, but the footnotes don't really have much to do with the narrative but just a parenthetical that happens to be there. The lack of structure makes me think that the book wasn't edited to closely or that the editors chose to have Lawson's voice go unhindered due to her already large popularity (she has one of the biggest blogs on the internet called The Bloggess that has over a million page views on a daily basis). I did think there were chapters that were filler and I skimmed them without missing much. I would recommend jumping around and reading selective chapters instead of reading it straight through.
Most of the book is read as if Lawson is constantly onstage and having to dish out a punchline all the time. I'll admit that majority of the punchlines were funny and amusing, but after a while it got really old and I found myself getting a little bored. My favorite parts of the book moves beyond the comedy and gets a bit personal as Lawson discusses poignant issues such as her pregnancy troubles and dealing with her anxiety. I do know that Lawson plans on exploring these issues in her next book, which would make the reading experience a bit more rewarding.
While not mind blowing or expertly written, Let's Pretend This Never Happened is an amusing read that I would recommend for readers looking for a light and fun book. I do see Lawson's talent and I plan on reading more from her in the future.
Rating: 3.5 stars
Words of Caution: Strong language, drug use mentioned, and crude humor. Recommended for older teens and adults only.
If you like this book try: I Was Told There'd Be Cake by Sloane Crosley, I Know I Am, But What Are You? by Samantha Bee, Half Empty by David Rakoff, Naked by David Sedaris
Description (from Goodreads): Jenny Lawson realized
that the most mortifying moments of our lives—the ones we’d like to
pretend never happened—are in fact the ones that define us. In the #1 New York Times bestseller, Let’s Pretend This Never Happened,
Lawson takes readers on a hilarious journey recalling her bizarre
upbringing in rural Texas, her devastatingly awkward high school years,
and her relationship with her long-suffering husband, Victor.Review: If you're looking for something funny or just a reassurance that maybe you're really not that weird then Let's Pretend This Never Happened is for you. If you, however, are looking for something with a bit more depth than a few chuckles here and there, this book will disappoint you.
Jenny Lawson is definitely funny and I can definitely see her humorist wings growing. As a writer, however, she needs to stay focused. Let's Pretend This Never Happened is pretty much composed of tangents that are not linear nor really take any shape. For instance, there are footnotes and those footnotes have footnotes, but the footnotes don't really have much to do with the narrative but just a parenthetical that happens to be there. The lack of structure makes me think that the book wasn't edited to closely or that the editors chose to have Lawson's voice go unhindered due to her already large popularity (she has one of the biggest blogs on the internet called The Bloggess that has over a million page views on a daily basis). I did think there were chapters that were filler and I skimmed them without missing much. I would recommend jumping around and reading selective chapters instead of reading it straight through.
Most of the book is read as if Lawson is constantly onstage and having to dish out a punchline all the time. I'll admit that majority of the punchlines were funny and amusing, but after a while it got really old and I found myself getting a little bored. My favorite parts of the book moves beyond the comedy and gets a bit personal as Lawson discusses poignant issues such as her pregnancy troubles and dealing with her anxiety. I do know that Lawson plans on exploring these issues in her next book, which would make the reading experience a bit more rewarding.
While not mind blowing or expertly written, Let's Pretend This Never Happened is an amusing read that I would recommend for readers looking for a light and fun book. I do see Lawson's talent and I plan on reading more from her in the future.
Rating: 3.5 stars
Words of Caution: Strong language, drug use mentioned, and crude humor. Recommended for older teens and adults only.
If you like this book try: I Was Told There'd Be Cake by Sloane Crosley, I Know I Am, But What Are You? by Samantha Bee, Half Empty by David Rakoff, Naked by David Sedaris
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I adore Jenny Lawson, she has my kind of sense of humor I think:) I feel like the random parenthetical statements and all the footnotes and such are a part of her style - her blog is kind of all over the place too, so I'm guessing they just let that be so she would sound like herself. Not saying they couldn't have reined her in a bit (and I haven't read the book), but I think the jumping from tangent to tangent is a big part of her personality. I'm glad you found it humorous and entertaining for the most part though, even if you did get bored after a while!
Hmmm... After reading your description of Lawson, I can't help but think of Dane Cook. I think his hilarious, but I can only stomach him for a short while before I get bored too.
I thought about reading this one, well actually I thought about listening to it on audio...I think Ill hold off for awhile until I can get for free at the library...:)
Great Review, and PS- the guy who played Dex was my book boyfriend for Smoke like months ago....hahaha
Hm... might be interesting when I need something light. Might take it in small doses though. Thanks! I've actually been curious about this one.
This sounds like a good book for reading when you are easily distracted. Like on a plane, at the doctors, etc. Like a magazine, I guess. I think I'm gonna have to check out her blog and see if her style is for me.
Is it weird that I haven't even heard of The Bloggess? I probably won't be checking this one out but I will take a look at her blog :)